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LG G Pad 8.3 Google Play edition hits US

by on11 December 2013



Sony Z Ultra 6.4 biggest Play phone to date

Waiting an update from LG to the latest version Android often feels like a watching a movie starring Tom Cruise. It is mission impossible and this hasn’t really changed from LG Optimus 2X, Optimus 4X and even the latest greatest terrific hardware LG G2 are stuck with earlier versions of Android.

Google has a fix for that and as of today it offers the LG G Pad 8.3 as a Google Play edition product and ships it with Android 4.4 or possibly even 4.4.x. The original LG version comes with Android 4.2.2 and a big hope for 4.3 or god forbid 4.4 in the distant future.

The LG G Pad 8.3 Google Play Edition comes with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 600 SoC, a 1,920x1,200 273 PPI resolution screen, 2GB of RAM, a 5-megapixel rear camera and a 1.2-megapixel front camera. As the name implies the screen is 8.3 inches and let's not forget the 4,600mAh battery tucked inside this relatively light 338gram tablet.

The LG G Pad 8.3 Play edition is selling in US only. It is only available in black and it sets you back a $349 plus the state sales tax, where applicable. Google also announced a bit pricier $649 Sony Z Ultra Google Play edition (Xperia got lost from the name. Ed.) again a US-only device that comes unlocked for networks but not compatible with Verizon. It works for AT&T and T-Mobile and a few smaller providers.

This is by far the biggest Play phone to date and to make things more interesting that it comes with microSD card support, something we never saw on any Nexus device. Naturally it comes with Android 4.4 and will get updates faster than the non-Google Play Sony Xperia Z Ultra.

One can argue that a phone after a certain size is too big, but there are a few million people who own phones significantly larger than 5 inches, mostly Galaxy Notes, and Sony wants the piece of the phablet market.

They are both available as of today and they are limited to US based customers.

Also read:

White Nexus 7 launched, available in US, UK

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